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PS I can't believe you have a heat pump. I didn't know they were used north of the Mason-Dixon line.

It depends on the heat pump. What really runs the bill up is when you have resistance heat as the auxilliary heat source. Our heat pump is a dual fuel system with a natural gas backup instead of resistance. When the outside temperature drops below a certain point, the heat pump switches over to the gas furnace. Our bills are down substantially since we've gone from just the furnace to the heat pump/furnace combo. It's a lot more comfortable in the house, too--the heat pump doesn't dry out the air the way the furnace does.

Here in California, if you can afford the up front costs, you'll see negligible electricity bills if you go solar. According to my very good friend who went solar and, even during the summer, with a 2500 sq. ft. or so home, AC, and lots of other electricity use, he pays less than $20 a month.

With our warm winter, I wonder if he's making money right now. Bastard.

How much did he pay for the solar? Don't see how you can't factor that into the equation. Sure, $20/ mo now for bills, but what did the upfront costs average out to per month for 20 years? You really need to look at the full picture.

How much did he pay for the solar? Don't see how you can't factor that into the equation. Sure, $20/ mo now for bills, but what did the upfront costs average out to per month for 20 years? You really need to look at the full picture.

i've calculated the costs here locally and for how long before you actually see profits.... from the prices i got from here, you're only gonna make money for pretty much after 30 years. and that's if the power companies actually pay you back. out here, they wouldn't. so you have to include that as well.

yeah so the upfront costs are quite large. but if you don't consume as much power. it may work out well for you.

but from an emergency power stand point, solar sounds like a good idea. whenever a super typhoon hits my country, the power lines get cut and restoration takes a 5-10 days. and when that happens, you start getting pretty antsy for your basic needs such as refrigeration, water and gas.

using rough numbers , after an California instant rebate & Fed Tax credits, my 4 KW grid spec'd out @ 21K and change. Dividing by
the difference between my before & after bills. my break-even point is a bit over 7 yrs. after that I'm net positive.